Landscapes of the Four Seasons (Spring)

Liu Songnian, also known as Liu Sung-nien (1174–1224), was a painter of the Southern Song Dynasty from Qiantang, present-day Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. He is credited with creating "Landscapes of the Four Seasons," a handscroll rendered in ink and colour on silk, measuring 40 cm in height and 69 cm in width. The painting is undated. The painting presents gardens and villas around West Lake across four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each segment is richly detailed and deserves a description of its own; therefore, I will focus only on the spring segment. Before examining the painting, it is worth briefly considering Liu Songnian's career. He lived near Qingbo Gate, also known as the Dark or Hidden Gate, which earned him the nickname "Liu of the Dark or Hidden Gate." He studied at the Imperial Painting Academy under Zhang Dunli, who had himself studied under Li Tang. The influence of Li Tang can be seen in Liu Songnian's refined brushwork and delicate use of ink. He was eventually promoted to the position of Painting Academy Attendant and served during the reigns of three emperors, namely, Xiaozong, Guangzong, and Ningzong. His paintings were highly regarded within the Academy. He was skilled in figure painting, landscape painting, and architectural painting (jiehua), and is considered one of the most refined and meticulous painters of the Southern Song Dynasty. Alongside Li Tang, Ma Yuan, and Xia Gui, he is recognised as one of the Four Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty. Returning to the artwork, each of the four seasonal scenes has a distinct foreground, middle ground, and background, arranged through the careful placement of trees, buildings, and distant mountains. Qian Li discusses Liu Songnian's use of the "flat-distance" compositional method, which creates a measured and harmonious landscape centred on human activity. Rather than simply recording the scenery around the West Lake, the painting presents an idealised vision of the gardens, residences, and refined lifestyle associated with the Southern Song literati elite. In the spring segment, Liu Songnian depicts an outing amid blooming flowers and lush green willows. A winding path leads into the distance, bordered by tender grass and wildflowers, while a courtyard building stands among peach and willow trees. Two attendants lead horses and carry gift boxes towards a small bridge, seemingly preparing for their master's spring gathering. Beyond them, the distant mountains evoke the misty, rainy scenery of Jiangnan. The arrangement of the landscape creates depth while allowing the details of the garden and its inhabitants to remain central. Qian Li also draws attention to the contrast between the more solid foreground and the lighter, more open spaces below, which contributes to the painting's sense of balance. The willow trees and plum blossoms are especially important in conveying the freshness of spring. The use of mineral green and white powder, together with the carefully rendered vegetation and moss-covered slopes, gives the scene a renewed sense of life. In this way, the spring landscape becomes more than a depiction of seasonal scenery. As Qian Li argues, the four scenes together express an ideal of cultivated living in which artistic appreciation, daily activities, and personal refinement are closely connected. To me, the spring segment bursts with vitality. Liu Songnian's use of green and white colours in the vegetation and plum blossoms, together with the preparations for the spring gathering, evokes an idyllic way of life in which people live alongside nature, observe its changing seasons, and grow with it and in it.